Emerald Caress
by The Shard of Flame Ice
Summary: Bathed in the radiance of the moonlight, two souls find companionsip in one another; the emerald caress of her locks, the violet depth of his gaze. Entwined they be by the wind of remembrance. Implied Outright C.C.XLelouch. No longer a Oneshot. Rated T.
1. Emerald Is The Wind

**Author's Note: Welcome to my very first ever piece of Fan fiction! I can't help but feel proud. I wrote this in around 2 hours or so. I've been having this feeling to just sit down and write my first one down. I, unconsciously, as I realized later, wrote this from a dream I had after fully watching the series. While I'm not a shipper on the deck, I found that taking the C. approach to be more appealing here. I hope I did not make both of them _too _OOC. People who haven't seen the whole series should watch out for any stray spoilers this knucklehead may have missed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, nor do I own any of the characters from that series or used from that series. They belong to their respective creators and are copyrighted by Sunrise. I merely own this piece I wrote out of inspiration that the anime caused in me. If I owned it, you can bet I'd be living the good life.**

**EDIT: A small, insignificant one. I changed the "White Witch" part in this story for "Gray Witch". Thanks, KiKi Hayashi! I also appreciate any and all reviews, not to mention the people who fave'd this! Thank you all so much! I'm becoming inspired into doing a second chapter for this!  
**

Warm wind caressed the lands of the Ashford Academy's grounds. With it, carried was the invisible, but ever present weight of the burdens of the souls of the school's inhabitants. Of note, was the particularly somber mood that seemed to surround a certain part of this school, namely the Clubhouse where the Lamperouge were living in.

This breeze had swept across the settlement, lulling every person in its course into a sense of peace. Reaching Ashford Academy, it continued, past the Student Council's Clubhouse, in which's roof, a lone figure stood. Violet eyes gazed up into the night sky.

Lelouch Lamperouge sighed, feeling the soft breeze caress his face, raven locks lightly billowing in the warm wind, as he pondered his life's recent happenings. He felt guilty. Ever since his fellow Student Council member and friend, Shirley Fenette, confided in him about her father's demise, indirectly caused by Zero's landslide tactic during the Narita Conflict, and subsequently watching her mother weep in despair at the man's tomb, he had only felt guilt and remorse.

He chastised himself for the umpteenth time. Naïve! Foolish! How unlike him, yet so like him, to forgo with the knowledge that innocents could have been caught in the landslide. His naïveté had cost one of his dearest friends her father, and there was no one else to truly blame but himself. And he had to go on, face hidden behind a mask, to do it all, whilst keeping Shirley out of the loop in regards to the identity behind the mask of Zero.

He should be happy, he told himself. The battle of Narita had gone relatively well, allowing the Black Knights to score themselves a victory and help cement their name even further. The Guren's capabilities had been tested against the mighty Lancelot, and it was clear that, had it not been for the terrain, the Guren would have been the eventual victor. They had even received the backing of the Six Houses of Tokyo, allowing their group to finally start to grow and form into a true organization.

Reclining his body on the veranda in front of him, he turned his gaze to the campus's grounds. He was confused as well. He thought he had managed to harden his heart against such commonplace tragedies. But that was a lie, he realized. Those many deaths were not common, for the landslide was set loose for that exact same purpose, collateral damage be damned. In his ignorance, he casted deep grief on Shirley and her mother, and to varying extents on the many other countless families who had lost family members, or that had been ended completely.

This also made him realize, as he stood there thinking, that he had done to her the same that had been done to him as a child; he had caused the death of his friend's parent, putting her family in a tight spot now that the head of the family was gone. Her mother would be forced to work harder, even when Shirley counted with the backing and reassurance of the Ashford. God rest all their souls, Lelouch amended, ending the tangent.

"_At least she still has a mother to confide in._" Lelouch thought with slight bitterness, before promptly casting that selfish thought out of his mind. He shouldn't think that! It was his fault in the first place!

"Why does it not surprise me to see you here?" Was the question uttered by soft, feminine lips, which had curved into an amused smile as the words rolled of them, snapping Lelouch out of his funk. He looked over his shoulder, and was slightly surprised to see C.C. herself standing a ways behind him in her white restraining outfit, delicate arms crossed underneath her breasts, long emerald locks swaying in the night, like a mantle, figure illuminated by the full moon's radiance.

Lelouch allowed himself a couple of moments to admire her beauty before placing a scowl on his face and once again turned his gaze towards the ground.

"What do you want, you witch?" The word "witch" was uttered in a lower tone than the rest of his sentence, his left hand calmly resting on the veranda, right hand tightly clutching the silenced gun he always kept on his person, for whatever reason he needed it. Knowing she couldn't be killed, he would not hesitate to shoot her a few times if she toyed around with him when his mood was sour.

"Do I need a reason to relax? After all, the moon is quite beautiful tonight." Her smile was still in place. She, observant as ever, knew he would shoot her if she angered him. In all honesty, she did not care. She was not here to enrage him into shooting her anyway.

"Tch." Was all he said, but otherwise offered no other comments as she proceeded to copy his pose, reclining on the veranda at his right side. What did she want? How did she know he was here? What **was **she doing here?

"What do you want and how did you know I came here?" Phrasing his thoughts, he waited for answers.

"Why, I already told you, I just came here to relax a bit. As for how I know, you aren't exactly the sneakiest of persons, Lelouch. I could tell when you left the bedroom, so I decided to tail you. Lo and behold, I find the King of Angst himself on the roof, sulking about some thing or another."

"Alright, first, you do realize your answers are rather contradictory? Why did you say you came here to relax, when you just said you were following me? Second, I'd appreciate if you did NOT call me the King of Angst. And I was not sulking."

"Oho?" Smile still in place, she raised a fine eyebrow, if anything, expression growing more amused. "Then what WERE you doing?"

"What indeed." Was his curt reply, allowing silence to take hold of the roof.

Not five minutes passed before the silence was broken.

"I did not come here to relax."

"Oh really? Tell me something I don't already know."

Sighing, the Gray Witch turned to look directly at his face. While his face no longer held a scowl, it did not hold a smile either. He was simply staring at the ground, face blank. Face blank, perhaps, but she could see a storm of emotions and thoughts raging on through his eyes.

"Lelouch, it was not your fault."

That sidelong comment caused him to snap his head towards her so suddenly, she could have sworn she heard a crack.

"Lelouch, it was not your fault." She repeated.

"What was not my fault?" He asked rhetorically

"You know well what I'm talking about. It was not your fault her father died."

"How can it not be my fault?!" Lelouch screeched in outrage. "The landslide was MY idea! I arranged for the excavators and the technology to be prepared! The landslide was caused by MY order! If I hadn't been so stupid as to believe no one could have gotten caught in the crossfire, the maybe—!"

SLAP!!

The sound reverberated throughout the roof, before allowing silence to once again take over it.

Lelouch couldn't believe it. C.C. had slapped him. She SLAPPED him! _Man, did it hurt!_ Letting go of his gun and allowing it to clatter on the roof, he held his right hand to his stinging cheek. An angry red imprint of C.C.'s hand was beginning to appear.

He removed his hand, looking at it in disbelief before turning to look at the woman beside him.

She was looking straight at him. No coy smile, no amused look in her eyes, no mocking comment. She simply stood there, staring right into his eyes, right hand still raised from the strike delivered unto the ex-prince's face. She would be the epitome of the visage of seriousness, were it not for the restraining outfit she wore.

"It. Was. NOT. Your. Fault." C.C. hissed in a low voice, stressing out every word, particularly "not".

"B-but… I…" Lelouch spluttered, looking for something, ANYTHING to say. His eyes started to water.

"Not your fault." She said yet again.

"But if I hadn't been so damn stupid… If I had just had taken more time to think things through… Then maybe… Maybe, Shirley wouldn't have to…"

"Don't dwell on that. Ugh, come here." Shushing his mumbling, she pulled him into a gentle embrace sliding down the small wall the veranda rested on until she was sitting on the roof's floor, allowing Lelouch to silently cry into her bosom. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, muttering some words of comfort every now and then.

They stayed like that for perhaps twenty minutes. By then Lelouch had stopped crying, but had remained immobile. C.C. briefly entertained the idea that he had fallen asleep before discarding it, as Lelouch finally began to pull away from her.

He did not speak, instead merely looked at her for a few seconds before slowly standing up, turning to the moon. C.C. did the same.

A couple of minutes passed before anything other than the wind made any sort of sound. And then he spoke.

"You… are right. Many people died that day, and many lost families that day. Of that, I am guilty. But there was no way I could have predicted that Shirley's father was there, nor could I have actually spared the troops to evacuate the area. Who would listen to "Zero's Dogs" anyway? Totting around with guns held high wouldn't have earned us the love of the Brittanians, not that we need it, mind you."

The only thing that Lelouch got as proof that she heard him was a small "hmm". Thus, seeing no interruption, he continued.

"I will stop blaming myself, at least for now. I'll help Shirley cope with the loss, even though she already has the sympathy of the rest of the Student Council. The more the merrier, right?", At this, he turned to look at her, a small smile on his face.

She returned it, glad to see he realized that. But there was still something on Lelouch's mind that bothered him.

"Why help me cope with that guilt though?" He couldn't help but ask.

"You yourself said, or have you already forgotten?" She gave him a pointed look.

He did not seem to understand, until a recent memory flashed by him.

_The two of them were in a cave. She was nude, except for the cape which covered her body. Said cape belonged to the Masked Revolutionary, Zero, who happened to be the Unmasked Revolutionary Zero, at the moment._

_He looked at her, the two disregarding her nudity, before speaking: "It's as convenient a time as any, I'd say. I'll only say this once. You have saved my life, and given me Geass. Thank You."_

_She was surprised by his words, tears slipping past her emotional walls, before smiling in happiness. "Then, will you show your appreciation to me? Say it, please say it again."_

_He seemed confused, so she clarified: "What you heard… my name. Say it, as if you truly treasured it in your heart. Gently and with warmth."_

_Understanding, he paused for a moment, before whispering her name: "…", just as a droplet fell from a stalactite from the ceiling, and crashed into the water powerfully, drowning out the sound._

"_How was that?" he asks._

"_That was awful. You said it oddly, with no warmth at all. You said it as if reading it and it was cold." She remarked, even though she was smiling._

"_My, you sure are a picky girl." He countered, smirking._

"_Of course, for I am C.C." She answered, smiling all the while._

"...When I said "Thank You"?" He asked, surprised.

"We're even now, Lelouch." She said, smiling again.

"C.C., you witch." This time, the way he said "witch" was not cold, was not resentful. It was slightly playful, yet with warmth. "You were counting on things to turn out like this, weren't you?" Again, his words were playful.

"Of course, for I am C.C." She responded to his playful quip, before kneeling down to pick up his weapon, handing it back to him as she rose.

"You should go back to sleep, Lelouch. You need the rest, and you have school later." She advised him, reminding him that school started in 4 hours as he checked his watch.

"You're right. Though I wonder how Sayoko and Nunnally did not wake up because of the earlier ruckus, I suppose I'll have the time to ponder on that later. Good night, C.C." Stepping closer to her, her emerald locks caressed his face softly, slowly pulling her to him. He surprised them both by bending down and kissing the top of her head, then letting go of her, before turning on his heel, headed back to his room in order to get some sleep.

Not expecting such a reaction, she found herself fighting down a small blush, before her face contorted into a cute pout as she seemingly snapped at the breeze swaying her locks.

"Oh stop it! I'm not falling for him!"

Despite her words, he turned to look to where he exited the roof, thinking, "_I knew he would be an interesting person. Lelouch Lampero--, no, Lelouch Vi Brittania, I wonder how you will turn out. Looks like I'll have to stick by your side to see how. Not so bad, I guess_." Allowing that thought to linger in her mind, she turned to take one last look at the area, then the sky, before following the same path Lelouch took to his room.

Thus allowing silence to once again reign supreme over Ashford Academy's Student Council Clubhouse's roof, broken only by the low howl of the wind, serene as ever, and by a mysterious sound dancing in it, which oddly, sounded not unlike the amused giggles of a grown woman.

**  
Author's Note: Aaaaaaand Finish! How was it? I'm eager to know! Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames are not. I hope I at least made it enjoyable to read. This will likely stay a one-shot, though I may consider making it into a two-shot, or even a multichaptered fic. Please Review! **

**PS: I hope that "Line Breaks" shtick is not as sketchy as some authors make them up to be. Otherwise I'm afraid the integrity of my fic may be in danger!**


	2. Dream of My Beggining

**A.N: How's it going? Like I long ago promised, 2nd chapter of my original story, Emerald Caress. It's barely half the lenght of the 1st Chapter, but that is because this is a dream sequence. It's setting up for next chapter, which I will start writting sometime after I do my daily excercise. By the way, I'm coming right out to say that I'm closing down the pairing poll of St. Valentine's Storm, and simply giving Lelouch a harem, just to further the crackiness. Thus, it's going to get very AU soon in that fic.**

**Anyways, enjoy. I throughly enjoyed writting this little piece, and it shows methinks. Try and guess who is "The Girl", and who is "The Nun". You'll take a 1000 years to guess *sarcasm*.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. That and its characters belongs to its respective creators and is copyrighted by Sunrise. I own this story and it's plot only. **

* * *

_"Spring. When the acient year ends, bring Spring, and with it, renewal. Welcome it you shall, child, and happiness you will find… Spring, your haven will be. Spring, your heart will learn to yearn for. Spring, your dreams will contain."_

_She remembered them clearly. She could never forget the words the elderly fortuneteller had spoken. She had been starving; her last attempt to smuggle food had failed, and had it not been for the man's kindness, she doubted she would still be alive. He allowed her stay with him, for a time. Then it came the time to part, and before leaving, he left her those words._

_She wished she could have asked him more. "Why would spring bring me happiness, when my existence itself pains me?"; "Why would I welcome it, when all I ever welcome is suffering?". She wanted to ask those and more, but he never once turned back to gaze at her as he walked off into the horizon. She was alone again, and had to fend for herself, again._

_Spring. She used to wonder, would Spring really impact her life that much? She used to wonder, would Spring truly save her? She used to pray, "Spring, will you fulfill my desire?". _

_**The answers, she found come the first morrow of Spring.**_

* * *

_A child, no older than eight, stumbled down a beaten path. Light of dawn was barely beginning to settle in, and thus, her figure was mostly engulfed in shadows. She was barely able to walk on, hope being all that kept her will from shattering. _

_**Hope for Spring.** _

_At last, light overcame darkness, and the girl's form was revealed. She was small, smaller than most children her age, but then most children her age were not wayward orphans. She was dressed in rags, barely covering her frail body. Tears and dirt were present all along its surface, and these only helped her modesty, for the child shivered from the cold. Dust and grime covered her skin, splotches upon pale innocence. For anyone looking upon her visage, she was an unremarkable being, barely hanging on to life. _

_But only one person looked upon her being, and this woman found her not unremarkable, but a precious treasure. _

_The girl possessed an emerald-locked mat of hair, irregularly cut and kept short, barely past the nape of her neck. It was dirty, but the woman, a nun, saw only beauty. _

_The girl possessed a pair of big, round, but dull, yellow eyes. Dulled from the harshness of her continued waking moments, but the woman, relatively young, saw only purity. _

_The girl was young and alone, parents lost to the previous war. Fending alone her entire life, she was poor and mistreated by the world. But the woman, whose skin was forever blemished by the Crane, saw only the gates of heaven._

_The nun approached the girl, slowly and with purpose, so as to not scare the child, show her she meant well. _

_Footsteps alerted a girl of the presence of another, and in her startle, she stumbled. Closing her eyes in expectation of the pain, she was confused when instead of a cold, hard floor, she landed on soft clothes, and warm embrace. Gazing up to the woman who helped her, she was mystified by the loving face of her savior, features young, but afflicted nonetheless with the passage of time. Soft lips moved, to whisper, voice slow, but affectionate. Hands bigger than the child's own moved to gently wipe the dirt from her face, and she leaned in to the caress…_

_"Child, where are your parents?" Both of them knew the answer to the inquire. But the girl would need to admit the answer herself, if Spring would save her._

_Tears forming at her eyes, the green-haired girl sobbed out, voice raspy from lack of water, "M-my parents are d-dead. This country lost the war, s-so a child like me was overlooked. T-trash like me… doesn't d-deserve pity…" But her sobs were cooed by her gentle elder._

_She hugged the girl's body to her own, and whispered gently, "Trash, you are not. Precious you are, of that you can be sure. Pity, in surplus you deserve. But pity I do not take on you. I offer you my hand, child. If you would have me be your mother, take it, and walk with me." Offering slightly calloused hands to the girl, she remained expectant._

_To neither's surprise, the girl took only a split-second look at the nun's face, and resolve made, she firmly grasped the offered hand. Smiling, the nun stood up, and gently settled the girl on the road, next to her. With a small giggle, she started, gently guiding the child towards the continuously brighter horizon, where a town with lush prairies could be seen from higher grounds. The child took increasingly confident steps alongside her new mother, and a smile built up, eventually reaching her ears, as her tears, once of sadness, fell down accepting cheeks, now of happiness._

_**Spring had come.**_

* * *

…_But in turbulence of emotions past, amidst the abounding darkness of life, and the blinding light of hope, the girl forgot the last whispers, the true, last words, the old man left her…_

"…_But like the years, Spring will give way to summer, height of joy. Summer, to autumn, descent to darkness… and autumn, to winter, lasting misery. Your Spring will be long, as is befitting… But your Winter will be longer still, and will everlast the centuries of your journey, until he, who shall bring you forever Spring, comes to save you…"_

* * *

_It hurt. Everything hurt. Everything in her life, had become pain, darkness and blood. In that single moment of suffering, she wished she could die. She longed for it. Death, with its cruel, merciless fingers, would in irony, bring her the solace she craved. But denied she would be, and denied she would forever be. The burning Crane in her brow, above her eyes, but covered by her hair, would make sure of that. This pain was the beginning, centered at the wound beneath her breast. Pain would continue to permeate her being, and soul would wander bloody snow for ages to come. Her being, her soul, her blood. Everything would be damned to walk down that cold, snowy path. Time would step aside for her. Death would regard her with a cold shoulder. Wars would reach armstice long before she took notice of them. She would never be happy in this plane. Cold, her heart became, and her previous life, the comfy shell she had doned after that fateful day, was discarded._

_- Long after that moment, she acknowledged herself, and came to realize she would need to possess a new identity, for her new, cursed self. She supposed the initials to her name would suffice. C.C. She liked that. Not even a proper name, for a being who no longer was human. How fitting. - _

**…_Winter, had come… _**

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**A.N: There you have it. I came out and flat spelt it out. It's C.C. This is both my take on her past, and setting up for next chapter's happenings. Definitely darker in nature than before. Don't worry though. This fic is C. for a good reason.**

**Btw, just to make sure; previous chapter took place just before Mao's appearance. Next chapter is one big jump from _that_, to all the way to R2's amnesiac C.C. Since I'm not 100% sure about timelines anymore, I'll go ahead and say it right now; next one may be AU, since the setting accomodates around the concept that C.C. was amnesiac for a relative amount of time, ie, days at least. 3rd chapter will be based on that idea... And a WARNING: OUTRIGHT FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER.**

**Please Review! Tell me how it went! Maybe I won't screw up so much by then!**


	3. Mare of the End

**A.N.: The third chapter! I was supposed to get the inspiration to write the 4th one (which I did) but ended up only finising this one. The 4th, I'll try to write before I return to school. Anyways, interpret this chapter however you wish to. I know I promised C. fluff, but hey, amnesiac!C.C. is actually pretty damn hard to write properly! Guess that means it's rather hard to shake off that image of the stoic C.C. As it stands, I'm not sure how it came out. Well, I hope. **

**Thanks to Lost-Chan, who pseudo-beta'd this thing for me! This one's for you (just hope it came out good)!**

**WARNINGS: EXCESSIVE USE OF THE F-WORD, courtesy of an stressed Lelouch. What's the appropriate term for this? I think it was, Cluster F-Bomb, or something like that. Also, small bout of accidental yuri. If any of these put you off from reading, well, that's too bad.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass, its characters or any of its places. If I did, then for whatever reason I would be writing this?! I'd be freakin' rich!**

_It was dark. Dark all around her. She did not know where she was. All she knew, was that she was standing in a dark, empty void, and aside from this expansive, overwhelming darkness, and herself, a cold, uncaring wind was furiously blowing all around her. _

_**Where was she? **_

_Ever since coming to on this place, she had been wandering,__ going down one direction for a long time. But, was she going down? Right? Left? Up? She knew nothing… Save that it was cold, she was alone, and she felt scared. Scared of this never-ending darkness, which stretched on for eternity. Scared of the wind, ice-cold, furious and uncontrollable, chilling her to the bone and filling her with dread._

_And most of all, scared of her own self, scared of the cold, unfeeling being mirroring her form, seen on the fleeting images that assaulted her mind__ from time to time. Was she really that person? Was she really that uncaring monster, who ignored the suffering around her? A monster, who played with the minds of many for her own sake…?! A selfish person, who tricked many people into losing themselves to an accursed power she couldn't even remember?!_

"_**NO! I refuse to be like that! If this world would have me become such a monster, then I'd rather forget ever being such person! Help me! Anyone! Please! Just let me forget everything…! Let me start over… Just one more time… Please…"**_

_Whether or not her pleas were heard, the "floor" bene__ath her gave away, breaking into transparent, mirror-like shards as she fell, fell into the grasp of the shadows, shadows that had been slithering all around her, watching her with zeal, zeal finally put into engulfing her being in darkness. She screamed in fear, fear for herself, for of herself, fear of this cold darkness! And so she fell, fell into this mare of darkness…_

…_But she stopped, as suddenly as she had started falling. Why was she screaming? She tried to recall, but couldn't. She had forgotten. She just knew she felt… happy. But somewhat empty. How to fill that emptiness? It was vexing her._

"…_**!"**_

_Eh? What was that? Straining her ears, she concentrated on a sound that she could barely hear, if she focused. __She did not even notice that she had stopped falling completely, merely floating in the void._

"…_**ine!"**_

"_**Uh? Who's calling me?"**_

_Hearing a voice resonate through the space, uttering words she barely recognized as her name, she reacted to it, wishing to reach it, reaching for it with her hand. But it was not to be, for the wind, which had been howling, screaming in primal joy at her misery, had become warm. Instead of whipping at her, it lulled, caressing and encompassing her being in warmth; warming her cold body, making her feel comfortable. She wondered in awe; wa__s this how it felt to be cared for? Was this feeling, warmth, kindness and worry? Was this how the person felt? The person who called her?_

_If so, she loved it. She wanted more. She wanted to reach for that kind person. She wanted to wrap her arms around that gentle being. She wanted soothe their worries, repay their kindness and share their warmth with her own. She loved this feeling, loved this voice, loved this wind, loved this person. She wanted to go to where this voice was. She wished to be with this person._

_But it would have to wait. To be loved, it felt good. Extraordinarily good, but it tired her. She did not want love to tire her out, inexplicably so, it did. She was tired, and so her eyes began to close gently. She missed her being begin glow slightly in the darkness. She missed her being being encompassed in ghostly arms, the figure of a young man barely made out. She missed as this figure brought its head down to her own, ghostly lips placing a gentle kiss on her own. She missed as the figure dissolved into tendrils of light, fleeting around her sleeping form, before reaching out to the surrounding black. She missed as the darkness she so hated began to struggle against the light. She missed as the light transformed the void into white._

_She missed as the black void, became white void. She missed as the void became lush prairies, running rivers, and forests full of life. She missed, as she slept through it all, how her being came to rest against a giant, marvelous cherry tree, pink petals fluttering in the same warm breeze that had come for her in that emptiness._

_The wind of remembrance took pity in the green-haired woman, helping her forget._

_The sleeping woman dissolved into green light, entwining with the same streams of light that used to be pristine, now a beautiful, deep amethyst. And all along it, the wind of remembrance lulled the beings dancing in that light to comfortable sleep. Peace would be eternal for their souls, but all that was left before that came to be, would be misery. Misery inevitable, but misery it would be._

_**On a different plane, perhaps a different time altogether, a green-haired girl awoke. She looked in fright to the figure looming above her, and began to try to understand her situation, even as the figure, a young man, looked at her in worry and in shock. This scene, which would be part of a sequence, would lead them to the bliss the girl had just dreamed of.**_

_****_

_**"Spring her heart would yearn for, and so her dreams would be filled with Spring…" Mused the wind of remembrance, having taken the form of a wise, old man…**_

* * *

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**

Startled, the green-haired girl shot upright in the cushioned sofa she was sleeping in. She was breathing heavily, the experiences of her dreams having placed her mind in turmoil. She was shaking heavily as well, and her breathing was approaching hyperventilation. That was the worst one yet! And those whispers... Were thoe the whispers of the dead?! Scary!! With a small yelp, the terrorized woman hugged herself, desperately trying to forget her dreams. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to remember her happiest memory; her Master, her current Master. His image always made her feel at peace. Focusing on him, on his voice and his form, she felt her nightmare vanish from the recess of her mind, and felt his gentle voice (in her mind) ease her spirit.

Managing to calm herself down, somewhat,_ "Another dream._" She thought. She had been having dreams similar to these ones recently. Whenever she had one of these, she would start trashing in her sleep, start breathing heavily and start mumbling incoherently. Or so said her Master. Whenever she had a dream—or nightmares, as she had started to call them—her master would be beside her when she woke up, to soothe her as she convinced her conscious that she was safe, away from the terrible images and safe in the arms of her Master, burying her head into his warm chest, and crying as he gently stroked her back.

But this time, Master was not beside her. Master said that he would be incredibly busy these following days, so he may not be able to be with her if she had nightmares again. Frowning in small disappointment, she looked down at herself, and once again, she was mystified. It was weird. She remembered being at the service of several men, only to escape as soon as the opportunity presented itself. But in all the memories, she was young and battered. When she looked at herself in a mirror, she did not see a child. She saw a beautiful, fully grown woman with a mature feminine body, lime-green locks slightly framing her head, falling down her back to rest at her behind.

She was an adult version of her memory self. She did not know how that came to pass. For that to happen, she would have to have aged at least a dozen years, and yet she held no recollection of any events transpired past her latest escape from the servitude of a lord; a lord, she remembered, used to look at her young body with shifty eyes, and a strange look that sent shivers down her spine. But none of that was present now.

Indeed, for when she took in her surroundings, she found nothing that pointed to the medieval era she used to despair in. Instead of wood and stone, there was metal and something her Master called "plastic". Her Master's living quarters were neatly organized, but with a slight leaning to luxury, if the bookshelves covering some of the room were to be any indication… Oh, and those strange contraptions her Master had muttered about… "television" and "c-computer"… Yes, those were the names! Her master would be happy to know she remembered! Yes, no Master of his caliber deserved to have a brute for a servant!

Or so our amnesiac Witch told herself.

For several days now, C.C. had absolutely no idea of who she was. She only remembered her past as a wayward slave girl, nothing about coming into contact with Geass. Thus, when the figure of Lelouch appeared in her vision, dressed in regal clothes, deep purple, her mind automatically reasoned that she had been taken in when she was asleep, and that this was her new Master. He did seem dressed for the part, in hindsight. So she, having only those memories, went from cynical, mocking, deadpan and deadly C.C., to meek, timid, shy and submissive C.C.

Anyways, returning to the matter at hand, C.C. took a sniff of herself, and was disgusted. She reeked! Her Master would not appreciate her being in his presence when such an odor radiated from her body! Taking a look around, she spotted the closet, where master said she could take more clothes. Striding to it in slow, unsure steps; as she wasn't fully accustomed to her new center of balance yet (Her breasts were too big! They were also a bit obstructive!) ; she reached it, and opening the doors, found multiple rows of the same clothes. Her Master said that she did not really have need for much deviance in dressing code, so she simply chose another set of tight white shorts and tight white halter top.

Taking another look around, she spotted her Master's private showering room, where she could hear the water running. In an uncharacteristic (or characteristic, depending on your view) display of innocence (and stupid), she happily assumed her Master had anticipated her nightmares, and had left the water running so she could shower. How thoughtful of him! Her Master was so nice, so gentle to her! So much unlike any of her previous Masters! She would never try to run from him!

So it was with these happy thoughts that the unfortunately airheaded girl walked off to the bathroom. Too bad she forgot that Lelouch never left the water running. If the shower was currently spouting water, then that could only mean….

* * *

Steam covered the mirror hung on the wall. Steam clung on the walls and ceiling. Steam clung to the glass of the door leading to the shower. Steam clouded the space, as hot water descended like a thundering waterfall around one Lelouch Lamperouge's head. Sighing, he allowed his body to relax, as the water soothed his muscles. What a busy day! First, he had to sit for hours signing document after document. Then he had to go to the rehearsal of the U.F.N. Act declaration. He performed his act perfectly and flawlessly, as was befitting of Zero, a fact that never ceased to amaze some of his compatriots. Then, when he thought he could take a small walk to gather his thoughts, he was approached by that idiot Tamaki. Thankfully, he was able to talk his way out of accompanying him to a get together with some of his Black Knight pals, but just being near him caused him a headache.

He held nothing against Tamaki. He just wished Tamaki realized that drinking loads of booze until you dropped was _not good for his goddamn genius brain!_ Another fact that did not escape the notice of surrounding Black Knights. Thank the heavens!

Still, only now could he truly be in peace. He'd been standing there for quite a while now. He even sometimes had to catch himself from falling asleep, _standing up._ Must be more tired than he originally thought. Looks like he'll be turning in early. Perhaps he could muster the energy to try and help C.C. remember something again, no matter how futile it had proved to be time and time again.

That brought him to another thought. The girl had been suffering from nightmares nightly. She was always muttering things like "No…" and "Spring…" Spring? What of it? Confusion had been a rather constant companion of his only recently and already he was bored of it. He wished he could do something! That girl… She was not C.C., at least, not how she used to be. This reminded him of the time he spent under his father's Geass….

Suddenly, a fleeting memory assaulted him, and an idea formed… Perhaps he could—

But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door to the shower room being opened, and it was with foreboding that he turned to look to the entrance, were the naked form of a woman with long, green hair was visible. And just like that, a sparkle seemed to go off in his head, and his mind almost shut down because of the embarrassment.

* * *

Oh happy day! She would be able to enjoy a warm shower, if the steam was any indication to go by. She could relax there, then dress and maybe order another of those precious, sacred things called "pizzas" that her Master had brought her once. She would be eternally grateful to him! She'd even save some for him; there's no way someone as kind as her Master should not be able to savor something as sublime as pizza!

Stripping down while thinking all this, she made her way through the steam, and reached the glass door to the bathing area. Grasping the handle with her delicate hands, she opened the door, and stepped in. Humming a small tune she once learned form watching the "television", she walked towards the shower head, and was about ready to dip her head under the stream of water, when she took notice of another presence in the room, and turned to look at a male figure bathing not a few inches away from her.

Both stared at each other for a few moments, before trailing their gazes downward, as one. When the situation finally registered on their minds though, chaos erupted.

* * *

A redheaded young woman was currently walking in the direction of her commander's quarters. She was of medium stature, with an athletic, but nonetheless voluptuous body. She walked proudly and with purpose, commanding respect as various members of the Black Knights saluted or bowed to her as she passed. She was quite obviously an important member, when even Nagisa Chiba, one of the Shisei-Ken, nodded at her in acknowledgement as they crossed ways.

Kallen Kouzuki sighed in annoyance. That idiot Tamaki! Trying to coax Zero into going with his drunkard friends into a bar and get smashed…! Baka! Wasn't he supposed to have gone to the school?! At least know what all that booze would do to their leader's mind?! She had chewed him out because of that, making a public example out of him. And gave him a good, solid whack on the head for good measure… and for calling her a bitch. Hmph! Just because she had a temper…

Muttering in anger, she simply continued on her way, deftly ignoring the nervous glances some members sent her way, for her ire was all but palpable in the surrounding atmosphere. She was going to talk to ZERO, and she stressed Zero, because she still refused to see Lelouch and Zero as the same, just a bit. She was going to apologize to him, again, because Tamaki tried to pull off more of his shitty antics, **again**, and subsequently, threaten to put their organization's image in jeopardy, _**again.**_

With another huff, she reached the "Last Stretch", so to speak. A long hallway and a door was all that stood between her and Zero's room. Nodding towards the security men, she received a nod of acknowledgement. Giving them her ID, she watched as they discussed a few things, before confirming it. One handed her ID back to her, and another one entered a code in a panel next to him. Everything was in order. All that was left now was Zero's approval, and she would be allowed to pass. But just as the man informed Zero of her arrival…

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

…A piercing scream rippled throughout the hallway, reaching into the room beyond it, and nearly giving heart attacks to every single Black Knight that heard it. But that was lost on Kallen. Kallen was, first and foremost, Zero's personal bodyguard, and head of Zero Squadron. The soldier in her reacted in an instant, demanding the security to open the doorway immediately. Obeying as is standard procedure in case something may happen to Zero, the door was opened, and a cloud of steam was released into the hallway, obscuring much from view. Black Knights could be heard forming up beyond the door behind Kallen. The guards mustered their weapons, but stopped at a raised hand from the red head.

Hoisting her handgun, she readied herself. She would find out what happened to Zero personally… But as she advanced into the blinding white, a stray thought passed through her mind; _"Weird… That scream sounded like a girl's voice… And wasn't C.C. supposed to be in here with him?! What happened to the both of them?! Tch! I'll just have to find out myself…"_Oh fuck. Fuck, **fuck**, _fuck_, fuck,_** fuck**_, **fuck**, _fuck_, _**FUCK! **_How the hell do you figure this would happen?! Fucking great! And just when he thought he could relax!

* * *

Releasing a shrill scream, C.C. dove for the cover of the mist, hiding her blushing body from her Master's range of sight. She left the area as quickly as she could, swiping a towel from the rack and covering herself as much as she could. Without even opening her eyes, she ran like hell, out of the bathroom and rushing straight into something soft, but firm, presumably another person, and crashing the both of them to the floor.

Only then did she take notice of the feeling of her lips pressed against something equally soft. And the rest of her body, as a matter of fact. Her right hand was pressing down on something… _**big**_. And soft. Her other hand, appeared to be between two, long things that seemed to be legs… It all strangely reminded her of…

With a sound that seemed to be between a grunt and a moan, the body beneath her threw her off roughly, and with a small pained yelp hers crashed to the ground. Fortunately, the person recognized her, and even though her face burned a red brighter than her own hair, the woman knelt next to her and helped her up, before forcing her to the bathroom as the woman howled something to the guardsmen stationed outside.

What embarrassment! She had completely forgotten to at least take a "robe" before dashing outside! And her Master saw her without any clothes on!

…

…And **she** saw **him** nude as well! The fact registered in her mind in half a second, and face a red so bright, it could have been described as incandescent, the green-haired woman fainted with a small, silly grin on her face, and a small trace of blood left her nose. Her body collapsed right in front of the Ace of the Black Knights.

Kallen stared, dumbfounded, at the usually stoic woman, and how the sight before her was wrong on so many levels. With a shudder, she tried to erase the image from her mind, before repeated cursing caught her attention. Turning back, and deftly ignoring C.C., she was treated to the sight of her unmasked leader scrambling to get out of the shower room and put on a robe at the same time. With a start, both froze and he turned to look at the red-haired woman. Ever so slowly, her gaze turned downwards, Lelouch's following hers, and both found themselves staring at Lelouch Jr. After minutes of silence, their gazes found each others once again, and with a small unintelligible noise, Kallen did as C.C. did.

The half-naked Lelouch could only stare in disbelief at the two females fainted on his bathroom floor, both with grins, and both leaving blood on the floor. At this, his left, lens-less eye began to twitch in annoyance. Oh great! Now he would have to further stress himself by having to scrub all of that blood from the floor!

"_But first…"_ With that though, he looked at the bodies, and gave them the evil eye. He would have his revenge!

It was thus, that with an evil laugh, he quickly made a plan, and set off to do it, his approaching figure casting a growing shadow over the unconscious forms of Kallen and C.C.

* * *

**A.N.: Well, this one's done. If I'm not miscalculating, this is ending in 1 or 2 more chapters. It's rather short, ne? That's because it was meant to be a oneshot at first. Oh well, I hope I did not go _too_ over the top in OCCness. A cursing Lelouch is enough; a whole stream of the F-word? I think I overstepped my bounds or something. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it, read my other fic if you want a good first laugh then a sombering story, or review. Or don't do anything. Your call. Oh wellz, see you!**


	4. Sorry! :P

_Sorry! If you read this, it means that this story is currently on hold!_

**For this particular case (Emerald Caress), it is because I've had some trouble to come up with a chapter that doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. Seriously, it's like an author's block for this thing! **

**On the other hand, I've come up with a new story, a Touhou one, that I've just recently posted. Since I want to make it a large scale one (around Crown of Love), that means that I'll be focusing on this one a lot. Don't worry, Crown of Love will get some love as well (*_bad pun_*). Just... not now. If you guessed that this story is the final end result of the just closed down poll, then you guessed right. Have a cookie! (_*hands out cookies*_).**

**Anyways, since one of my main motivations is to obtain feedback, I would like to request, if it is not too much trouble, that any interested reades check my profile and read the new story. It is _"Hausse de le Écarlate Lune"_. It is currently just a 1900+ word prologue, but I'll try to fix that before the day is over.**

**Sorry again for any inconveniences. Have a nice day!**


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